Chapter 224: An Incident
Something happened.
Madam Zhu’s ears were buzzing.
At that time, she brought three young ladies to the dressing room. There were many people at the banquet, and there were also many people here, leaving only one room vacant.
The three young ladies went in, and Madam Zhu sat on a round stool placed on the corridor. Palace Attendant Jin accompanied her and chatted idly. Madam Zhu couldn’t help but sneeze heavily several times, tears streaming down her face. She didn’t know if it was because the copper crane incense burner next to her was too strong.
“Madam, come to the washroom to clean up first.” Palace Attendant Jin said hurriedly.
Not only was her posture ungraceful, but after several sneezes, Madam Zhu also wanted to use the washroom, so she hurriedly followed her into the washroom next door.
When she came out of the washroom, she heard the constant laughter of the young ladies in the dressing room next door.
“The young ladies haven’t come out yet.” Palace Attendant Jin said.
Young ladies are more concerned about their appearance. Madam Zhu nodded with a smile and sat down on the round stool. Not long after, the door opened, and two young ladies came out.
Madam Zhu abruptly stood up, the smile frozen on her face.
Three people went in, how come only two came out?
“Nineteenth Miss said she was going to the washroom…”
“She came out first…”
“Didn’t Madam see her?”
Listening to the two young ladies’ words, Madam Zhu’s heart sank.
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…….
“What happened?”
Accompanied by the sound of knocking, Madam Zhu pushed open the doors of a row of washrooms one by one. The ladies and young ladies inside were all startled. When they recognized Madam Zhu, their expressions became even more surprised, and they all asked questions.
Madam Zhu said nothing was wrong, but her face was gloomy. Having lived for most of her life, she knew something had happened. It had happened when she was splashed with wine at the banquet. No, perhaps it had started even before she entered the palace.
Their Zhu family had been schemed against.
She turned to look at Palace Attendant Jin, her eyes obscure: “Who was it?”
Palace Attendant Jin’s face was stiff, as if she didn’t understand: “What is Madam talking about?” She hurriedly curtsied, her expression panicked. “It was my negligence.” She urged the palace maids who had gathered around, “Hurry up and find her, where did Young Miss Zhu go?” She also gestured with her hands.
After all, it was impossible for all the palace maids to know everyone, especially the young ladies.
Perhaps seeing Palace Attendant Jin’s gestures, a palace maid suddenly stood out, with a hint of realization: “That young lady, I saw her just now, she has already returned to the hall.”
After saying that, she pointed her finger.
Palace Attendant Jin breathed a sigh of relief: “She went back?” She looked at Madam Zhu again and said with a forced smile, “Madam, she went back…”
Madam Zhu looked at her with a sneer, pushed her away, and strode towards the main hall.
“What’s going on?”
“Young Miss Zhu is missing?”
Discussions arose around them, and many people followed to inquire. Some were concerned, some were trying to please, and some were exchanging glances and watching the excitement.
Madam Zhu ignored them all, only looking towards the main hall, her hands tightly clasped in front of her. Was it the Emperor? Was it the Princess? Was it some powerful noble family? Her heart was boiling like water. Just as she reached the corridor of the main hall, a woman’s scream pierced through the sound of drums and music.
“Ayao—” Madam Zhu let out a hoarse cry and ran towards the sound.
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“What happened?”
The outside of the hall was crowded with people. As eunuchs and imperial guards poured out from inside, the crowd surged back.
The Emperor strode out and stood in front of the heated room beside the hall.
The heated room was tightly closed, surrounded by eunuchs and palace maids outside, their faces pale and panicked.
The screams and sobs of the women inside continued, mixed with Madam Zhu’s comforting voice: “Mother is here, don’t be afraid—”
Those palace maids and eunuchs said to the Emperor with trembling voices, “Madam Zhu, Madam Zhu won’t let anyone in.”
Madam Zhu inside obviously knew the Emperor had arrived, her voice raised: “Please forgive me, Your Majesty, the children had a quarrel, their posture is ungraceful. After they have tidied up, I will explain to Your Majesty.”
Quarrel? Did Young Miss Zhu have a fight with someone?
It’s possible. The women of Great Zhou have always been arrogant, and if they get into a dispute, they might fight.
The Emperor naturally had to avoid suspicion when young ladies were in an ungraceful state, let alone when Madam Zhu herself had spoken. The Emperor hurriedly agreed and turned to disperse the onlookers. At this moment, another sharp female voice rang out.
“What did you say? The Prince of Chu is here!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire scene froze, and all eyes turned to the speaker.
Princess Jinyu stood at the back, a eunuch’s face pale and his eyes dull.
Noticing everyone’s gaze, Princess Jinyu seemed to only then realize what she had said. She raised her hand and slapped the eunuch: “You scoundrel, what nonsense are you talking about!”
This slap made the eunuch fall to his knees with a thud, and he seemed to have sobered up. He looked up at Princess Jinyu, and the next moment he kowtowed heavily: “Princess, I wasn’t talking nonsense. His Highness was drunk just now, so I took him here to rest. I just went to make hangover soup…”
Princess Jinyu kicked him to the ground: “Shut up!”
The eunuch lay prostrate on the ground and indeed stopped talking.
But it was too late. The outside of the hall was silent, and everyone’s eyes turned back to the heated room. The sobbing of the women inside became clearer, mixed with Madam Zhu’s anxious comfort, “Mother is here, don’t be afraid of anything!”
Everyone’s expressions became complicated.
His Highness the Prince of Chu is also here?
So, it wasn’t about young ladies quarreling and fighting at all, but about Young Miss Zhu and the drunk Prince of Chu being alone in a room…
Everyone had seen how the drunk Prince of Chu had behaved just now. A maid would be one thing, but the Zhu family’s young lady was a daughter of a prestigious family. The Emperor’s face became stiff, then livid.
“Everyone step back!” he shouted.
The onlookers nearby hurriedly retreated, but people who had just heard the news were still pouring in, and the scene became chaotic for a while.
“Your Majesty—” Bai Ying also came after hearing the news, her face anxious as she walked to the Emperor’s side. “Let me go in and have a look…”
Hearing this, Princess Jinyu strode forward: “Get out of the way, I’ll go in!” Without waiting for the Emperor’s permission, she shouted towards the heated room, “Don’t worry, Madam Zhu, I’m here!” Then she rushed towards the heated room, gritting her teeth, “This little beast—”
This is just adding fuel to the fire! Once the door is opened, the heated room is so small, the people inside will be seen, and there will be no room for maneuver. The Emperor hurriedly reached out to stop her, but Bai Ying happened to reach out to support him, grabbing his arm.
The Emperor failed to stop Princess Jinyu and watched helplessly as she rushed to the door. The eunuchs and palace maids kneeling outside the door didn’t dare to stop her.
Princess Jinyu reached out to push the door—
The people around who were about to disperse subconsciously craned their necks to look inside with her—
The door suddenly opened.
It wasn’t pushed open by Princess Jinyu, but opened from the inside.
Princess Jinyu stumbled and bumped into Madam Zhu.
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Madam Zhu’s face was gloomy as she looked at Princess Jinyu: “No need to trouble the Princess, I have already comforted the child.”
Princess Jinyu raised her eyebrows: “Even if Madam Zhu is magnanimous, mistakes must be punished! Li Yu—”
She shouted loudly and looked inside.
“Is the Princess looking for His Highness the Prince of Chu?” Madam Zhu raised her voice to interrupt her. “His Highness the Prince of Chu is not here!”
The Prince of Chu is not here?
Everyone was stunned. Then what was Princess Jinyu shouting about and announcing to the world?
Impossible! Princess Jinyu pushed Madam Zhu aside, “Don’t try to save face for us—” She stepped into the room, and the next moment her voice faltered, her face stiffening.
The Emperor subconsciously looked over. In the small heated room, a young lady was kneeling on the ground, Madam Zhu and Princess Jinyu standing inside. The heated room suddenly became crowded, with no room for another person, and there was no one else.
Indeed, there was no Prince of Chu.
“Where is he!” Princess Jinyu shouted, looking at the eunuch outside the door.
The eunuch was still kneeling on the ground, his face pale and his eyes vacant. “I don’t know, I brought His Highness in, I personally helped him…”
He seemed to be back to just now, the swaying figures, the joyful music, the heavy young prince leaning on his shoulder, the maid next to him asking softly, “Is this the place?”
He nodded: “Yes, this is the place, there’s a heated room here.”
The maid continued: “This heated room wasn’t here originally, it was specially partitioned by Empress Jiang. It used to be a window where flower shelves were placed…”
Yes, yes, the eunuch looked up and saw the tall, deep, and wide hall in the twilight. A window appeared before his eyes, with eunuchs walking around and palace maids laughing and talking. But the palace maids were wearing high buns, which seemed to be a style from a long time ago…
The maid with the high bun suddenly leaned over and took hold of the prince who was half leaning on him.
“We’re here, you go open the door, I’ll help His Highness.” she said.
The eunuch said “oh” and the window in his sight disappeared, replaced by a small door. He hurriedly stepped forward and pushed it open, watching the maid drag Li Yu inside and place him on the small couch.
“Alright, I’m going back to the Princess.” the maid whispered. “You stay guard outside.”
The eunuch looked at the young man on the couch bathed in the interplay of light and shadow from the setting sun. The maid turned back to look at him in the light and shadow: “You remember what to do next, right?”
Of course he remembered! The eunuch thought. He would guard outside the door, letting others see his diligent and dedicated demeanor, and then pretend to be reprimanded by the drunk Li Yu. He would hurriedly go find hangover soup, leaving this place unattended. Young Miss Zhu would be smoothly brought in, and then a maid would scream, everyone would gather around, and His Highness and Young Miss Zhu would be found in disarray…
And then…
Princess Jinyu slapped him across the face.
At this time, he needed to say…
The eunuch looked up: “His Highness has been here all along, His Highness was drunk and unwell, I went to make hangover soup, I don’t know what happened…”
“Where is His Highness!” Princess Jinyu shouted.
He was saying what they had agreed upon beforehand, but why wasn’t the Princess following the script? The eunuch was panicked, looking at the heated room in front of him, bewildered and confused.
Yes, where is His Highness?
“I, I don’t know…”
Madam Zhu took over in a deep voice: “The Princess must have remembered the wrong place, my daughter has been here alone all along.”
She stared at Princess Jinyu, her eyes unreservedly warning.
Warning Princess Jinyu, was she really going to tear her face off with their Zhu family? She understood now, it was the Princess who was framing her family.
Princess Jinyu was not intimidated by Madam Zhu’s gaze, she was simply speechless with shock and anger.
At this point, even if the person wasn’t there, she would still bite the Zhu family.
“Did His Highness the Prince of Chu leave first?” Princess Jinyu looked at Madam Zhu and said through gritted teeth, “Don’t try to cover for him, Madam Zhu. I can’t tolerate him doing wrong.”
Madam Zhu’s eyes said several times, good, good for you, Princess Jinyu!
“Thank you for your concern, Princess.” she also said through gritted teeth. “I’m not someone who condones evildoers either, but I really haven’t seen the Prince of Chu.”
In any case, at this moment, under the watchful eyes of everyone, there was no Prince of Chu here. No matter how crazy Princess Jinyu went, she wouldn’t be able to ruin her family’s reputation!
Princess Jinyu naturally knew this and didn’t know what to say for a moment. A voice came from outside.
“No? Then why is Young Miss Zhu so frightened? Who scared her?”
Hearing these words, Madam Zhu’s gaze turned sharp as she looked at the woman standing beside the Emperor.
Consort Bai!
Madam Zhu gritted her teeth, so it was you!
Bai Ying didn’t look at Madam Zhu, she supported the Emperor’s arm and looked at the Young Miss Zhu on the ground with concern and worry.
“Your Majesty, look, this child is frightened and uneasy, she’s terrified.” she said with a trembling voice.
Hearing her words, the Emperor and the people around him all looked at Young Miss Zhu.
The young lady’s clothes were disheveled, she was sobbing behind her hands, her body trembling uncontrollably, as if she was caught in fear, oblivious to everything around her.
She was indeed quite frightened.
There must be a reason for this, she must have encountered something…
Whispers arose around them, their gazes complicated.
Bai Ying pursed her lips, seeing the fierceness return to Princess Jinyu’s eyes, she had the strength to bite again.
Sigh, without her help, what could this stupid princess accomplish?
But Madam Zhu suddenly laughed.
“Does Consort Bai really want to know who scared my daughter?” she said.
Is this old woman going crazy because she’s cornered?
“I’m worried.” Bai Ying said softly. “As the saying goes, the one who tied the bell must untie it…”
“Good! I’ll tell you!” Madam Zhu interrupted her, her voice raised. “My daughter was scared by Empress Yang!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire scene froze.
Empress Yang?
The dead Empress Yang!
So it wasn’t a matter of a man and a woman alone, it was a haunting!
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Haunting.
Standing at the back of the crowd watching this scene, Zhang Ze, who had been frowning, suddenly understood.
The next moment, his eyes turned cold.
Oh no, this time it was a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
